Jennifer Keane-Dawes, Contributor

Me dear mam:

De adda day me deh a foreign a think to meself how me nuh really know how me woulda manage if me en up a some dead church weh people think dem a do Massa God any favour fe lef dem yard. For wid all de singing, dem two han fowl up under dem breast. Like in-case-a-sickness-nightie under camphor ball. For missis, if me wrang tell me. But me love de clap! De alleluia-thank-yu-Jesus wid me han in de air. An a little jig pon de two foot now an again if de arthritis knee nuh too bad.

Well, after de Holy Spirit come dung inna me little country church de adda day, dis ooman side a me buss weh inna one pupa lick. Like fits. Frighten me. Suh after she flatter couple time an come back to herself. She begin whisper to me under de quiet fe look if har little false hair cattah roun a har head back still roun deh. Me tell har yes. But me had was to tell har de truth dat it did very lean.

But stick a pin. A me go talk bout truth. But if me wrang again, tell me. But yu nuh believe seh instead a hatarity a talk bout dem a kip Missa Cash Plus inna safekeeping. Like him a ten cent bulla inna show case. Das dem shoulda mek ebry effort fe mek sure seh de people dem a yard get back dem lilly money? An me not even a talk bout de interest. Dis gi dem back weh dem put een. Like de money dem barrah fe mortgage dem house. Or de heap a early han a pardner weh dem draw an put een deh. Massy.

Life rough

Well, although me neva join Cash Plus, me kine a understand how de poor an middle class people dem weh look like dem a lose dem money feel. For a nuh tief dem did a tief. Life rough. An since a nuh evrybaddy can sell ganja or ice cowl jelly. A try dem did a try a ting fe see if dem can mek one plus one equal two. Dis like how me did try a ting when me did lef yard. For me put me fahda plus fe me name pon me two lilly official bank book. An whatever me sen. When me hab it. Him drap it een deh. An sometime him an me madda woulda even add to it. Dat way now when me come a christmus time, a it me woulda hab fe spen. For de two a dem did know full well seh me neva mek fun fe lan outta Palisadoes. Eena me darkers. An not eben a red cent to me name.

Well, when me come a yard de adda day, me fly go a one a de bank fe get whatever inna me book. Missis, de clerk come back an seh me fahda draw it out. Me pupa! Weh, till him gone home to Massa God couldn't understand him pickney dem done grow an fe stop mine wi! Me dis count to one. Till she seh me did owe dem interest. An like a tief in de day, dem clean out me book clean clean. Well, as fe de next book, dat tun crossword puzzle. For de bank nuh exist. Well, me a ratta. An me learn sense. Puss muss fen fe himself. Me a ratta. An me learn maths. Cash Plus, multiply by heap a people, divide by yeye pon de long bag a interest, gi me a gran total of Cash Minus.

Dr Jennifer Keane-Dawes is a professor of communication at Elizabeth City State University, a constituent institution of the University of North Carolina System.